Her Hair Is Harlow Gold, Her Lips Sweet Surprise
by corikane
Summary: The Bellas are doing charity and Beca finds herself oddly captivated by the sight of two Bellas who might or might not be in love. (Triple Treble; no copyright infringement and all that, 'cause I own nothing.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've found myself oddly curious about the Triple Treble relationship. Especially the question of how something like that would begin. So, I came up with this. It's more of a contemplation than a story and I hope you don't mind me putting my five cents of inexperience in here. It's a one-shot for now - with the potential to become something more when I've finished my other two stories.**

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Aubrey Posen believed in charity work and giving back to the community. In this case it was a community that had been hit by a hurricane late the year before and hadn't had the financial means to restore all that had been destroyed. Surely, the Bellas' effort on this day wasn't going to change that but at least they were helping a little as they were restoring a kindergarden to some semblance of its former self. The university had raised money for different projects and all the a cappella groups had signed up to help. This was the Bellas' project: painting, gardening and screwing together of some IKEA-furniture in the heat of summer break.

And even though it was summer break, most of the Bellas were here today, including the former captain and her co-captain - both having graduated but were still living close by - Aubrey and Chloe. They were painting a wall in a bright yellow color not far from where Beca, the Bellas' new captain, was using her technical skills to build some of IKEA's finest children's chairs. Cynthia Rose was helping her and they made good work of it. They had chatted earlier but Beca wasn't the most chatty person to begin with and Cynthia Rose had soon found that she had a perfect view at Stacie's... everything when she moved to the far corner of the broken down cardboard boxes she and Beca were working on. She had therefore moved over a little and they were now working in comfortable silence.

Beca had smiled indulgently at Cynthia Rose's obvious pleasure in seeing Stacie gardening but soon found herself captivated by someone, or rather two someones, herself. She wasn't usually a person to stare at people, her focus wasn't that easily captivated, but there was something about Aubrey and Chloe today - was it the heat? the way they were so relaxed and happy? - that made it hard for the brunette to concentrate on her work. It didn't help that there was a rumor going around the Bellas' rehearsal room that their two friends were dating each other. Beca had only heard of this the night before from Amy and it had taken half the night for the small woman to wrap her head around the idea. She didn't even know what bothered her about it. They were her friends and although Beca and Aubrey had had a bumpy start, she now thought the world of the blonde. She was thoughtful, she was brave and committed. And she had a goofy side to her that the Bellas were only now discovering.

So, what was her problem?

Beca had never told anyone but she had always thought that she and Chloe would end up together at some point. Even with her and Jesse dating for awhile early this summer, even with Chloe going out with that guy Marc... there was something between them. Beca had always thought that Chloe was flirting with her from the very beginning. At first, it had been disconcerting, then it had been fun. But it had never grown out of its fun-state, it had never become real. Maybe she herself had been too chicken to admit her attraction or she had been waiting for Chloe to make an unmistakable move on her - whatever it was, it had not happened and now... she saw herself believing the rumors of Aubrey and Chloe together. It wasn't like they had admitted to it, or that they were displaying any kind of romantic feelings but they sure smiled at each other a lot. And they laughed together as Aubrey stood on a ladder to paint the top part of the wall and Chloe kneeled down to paint the lower part. The blonde let some yellow paint drip onto Chloe's head that was thankfully protected by a cap just now. Chloe looked up and made a mock angry face but then they laughed. They were really quite cute together.

Beca sighed.

They were also quite cute individually. Beca had never noticed before just how long Aubrey's legs were, or how muscled. They sure were on display now that she was standing on that ladder in cut-offs and she had a nice ass, too.

Beca looked around herself self-consciously for having stared at her friend and someone with whom she enjoyed to get into mock-fights with at that. If one of her fellow Bellas caught her staring at Aubrey's anything she would never hear the end of it. But nobody was paying attention to her. Stacie had started to play with some of the kids that were around. (It wasn't just the Bellas helping today, it was also most of the parents and some had brought their kids.) Amy was over by the swings, inspecting what some of the dads had build by sitting down on it. It held, so that made for good craftsmanship; Amy gave the thumbs up. Lilly was painting another wall with Jessica. They weren't talking, the blonde actually threw furtive glances at the Asian-American Bella with the makabre sense of humor (everybody hoped it was humor and nobody could yet prove that it wasn't). Beca didn't even bother to turn around and check that Cynthia Rose wasn't looking her way - as long as Stacie was wearing cut-offs and low-cut tank tops, her attention was well occupied.

All this meant that Beca was free to ogle some more and her eyes strayed back to Aubrey and Chloe, this time focusing on the redhead. Beca found herself smiling and it was like a reflex. When you looked at Chloe you smiled. It was like a law of physics or something. It wasn't just because she was adorable, or because she smiled all the time, it was because you liked her and knew she liked you back. Chloe was a people person, so much so that she stepped into other people's personal space without asking or reserve. She was just there, right in your face. If you were a good person, she would stay and hug you and touch you like all the time. And Beca had found that the redhead thought she was a very good person.

Beca sighed and turned her mind back to her task, screwing legs under the seats of children's chairs. She took a sip from her water bottle, her eyes drifting back to the yellow wall with the two lovely Bellas that were now standing next to each other, talking about something. And then Chloe looked over at her. She smiled when she saw Beca looking and waved her fingers. Beca smiled and nodded. She also blushed just a little for having been caught staring.

But how could she not? Like Aubrey, Chloe was wearing cut-offs today. Her legs were tan, shorter than her friends but, holy hell, those thighs! She was wearing a top that hung losely on her upper body, alternately revealing one of her shoulders, also tanned. She had tried to tame her locks with a scrunchy revealing a graceful neck and a delicious jaw-line and... damn, those eyes!

Beca lost herself in their blue depths for a long moment until she realized they were looking directly at her. Her blush intensified and she couldn't take her eyes off her friend's radiance fast enough. Adding to her chagrin was that Cynthia Rose chose that moment to come over and ask if she could borrow some screwdriver.

"Sure, help yourself," Beca answered and pointed at the small box with various shapes and sizes of the tool

"It's the one you're holding," CR told her and smirked.

"Oh... ahhh, sure. Here you go," she gave it up willingly.

"You okay, little buddy? You look a little flushed. Maybe you should get out of the heat," Cynthia Rose adviced before looking over to where Chloe and Aubrey were chatting. "Or maybe you should stop staring at Chloe for awhile. It's too damn hot to get all worked up. Believe me, I know," she smirked when Beca's wide eyes darted at her.

"I... wasn't... I mean... she..."

"Oh, you were staring at Aubrey, then?" the dark-skinned Bella snickered. "It's those legs, I know," she watched Beca become even more flustered and slapped her on the shoulder. not too hard. "Been there, done that," she added before she went back to work while the brunette tried to figure out what just happened. It seemed, Cynthia Rose hadn't been as preoccupied with Stacie's assets as she thought she would be.

Damn! Way to go, Beca, why don't you make a public announcement that you're fancying not only one of your friends but two - a rumored couple! Now that wouldn't be awkward at all!

Wait, back up! Did she just admit to herself that she was 'fancying' (she had been reading the whole Harry Potter-series after classes ended a couple of weeks earlier) Chloe AND Aubrey? That couldn't be right, maybe she got a heatstroke.

She put her hand to her forehead but it was relatively cool considering how hot it was outside. Then again, she wouldn't even know how to detect if she had a heatstroke.

"Not good, not good at all," she berated herself but found her eyes drifting over to her favorite pair of Bellas once again. They were standing really close, and she thought she saw them holding hands. It wasn't even unusual for the two to do that yet Beca found her eyes glued to the casual touch.

Was this still part of their friendship, or did it mean something else now? Damn, why had she listened to Amy's gossip?

Chloe leaned into Aubrey then and whispered something to her. The blonde's head turned and now it were her blue-grey eyes that looked back at Beca. She inclined her head questioningly but smiled at the same time. Beca smiled back, wondering where all this was going when CR approached her yet again.

"I'm finished with the backrests. Should I help you with the legs?" She asked and Beca found herself roused out of her stupor. CR hunched next to her, looking at her questioningly and Beca had no idea what she wanted.

"I don't know," she answered. Cynthia Rose looked suspiciously from her captain to Chloe and Aubrey who were both looking back, smiling.

"Damn, girl, don't tell me you're flirting with both of them now. You're not Houdini, y'know?" She told the smaller woman.

"I'm not... flirting... I..."

"Sure, you weren't. What was I thinking? It's not like you and Chloe hadn't been eye-sexing each other since the dawn of Bella practices," CR grinned at Beca but when she saw the flustered and obviously embarrassed face of her friend staring back at her she sat down, cross-legged. "Y'know, Amy says the two of them are dating," she stated and Beca nodded. "Considering that she and Aubrey are... pretty tight, I would say she's onto something there," she continued.

"It's not like I'm planning to break them up, or something. I mean... not that I could... do I sound awefully conceded?" Beca wondered aloud.

"I'm not saying that you would or that you could but... maybe you should try and get... among them rather than between them," Cynthia Rose adviced and the brunette looked at her confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Like... in a threeway?"

"What?" louder this time and with some vehemence.

"Could you cool it, Becs? This is 2013, things are... open. Being in a polyamorous relationshp or even just... y'know having sex with two people at the same time isn't such a big deal anymore. Maybe they'd be open to one or the other," the African-American Bella said. Her captain stared at her, then her eyes went to her friends at the wall. They had parted now and continued their work, still chatting, still laughing and exchanging glances. Chloe was rubbing Aubrey's leg just now, accidentally smearing some paint on it. She laughed as Aubrey admonished her, also laughing and rubbing at the paint. Beca had to smile, they were really cute together. "Wouldn't hurt to ask," CR's voice came back to her.

"I... I couldn't.. I mean, not that I want... that. I... God, what're we even talking about?"

"Your love life," Cynthia Rose answered honestly. "Or what could be your love life if you were to open up a little. This is college, Becs, no one will ask you who you've been with and what you did with them ten years from now. And if they do, you should proudly say that you enjoyed it and wouldn't change it for the world. And maybe, just maybe, you will be so lucky as to be able to build something permanent. Maybe this is what you will be missing for the rest of your life if you don't grow some balls and just... ask."

They looked at each other for a long moment, Beca's face went from wide-eyed to thoughtful. Cynthia Rose smiled encouragingly and then stood up.

"I think I'm gonna see what Amy's up to, take a break. Will you be okay by yourself for awhile?" Beca simply nodded, then looked up at Cynthia Rose and tried a tentative smile. "I won't tell anyone, okay? Just... think about it," CR promised and then went looking for Amy.

Beca stayed. After awhile she took out her ipod and pushed the tiny buds into her ears. While _Titanium_ beat at her eardrums, she thought about all the things Cynthia Rose had said. She thought about Chloe, she thought about Aubrey, about herself. Was something like that even possible? Was it palpable? Advisable? What did she have to lose? What to gain? Would they be insulted, flattered, weirded-out?

Beca sighed. She felt that her life had gotten quite a bit more complicated, and a whole lot more interesting this afternoon.

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**Songs: The title is the beginning of one of my all-time favorites _Bette Davis' Eyes_ by Kim Carnes. The story also mentions _Titanium_ by David Guetta (as is kind of customary in this fandom, I guess ;)).**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, I decided to take this story up for another spin. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update but I'll try to stick to it and work through it till the end. Hope you like.**

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It was late afternoon and everybody was exhausted. They had rented a bus to get to their location and as per usual Amy was their driver. Everybody else had collapsed into their seats, more in lying positions than sitting upright. Even Aubrey sat slouched.

"I need a beer," she now said and everybody looked over the backrest of the seat infront to the blonde who sat in the front row. "Anybody else for a beer and some pizza?" she asked her friends.

"I'm in," Chloe said from behind her.

"Hell, yeah, if you're buying," Cynthia Rose agreed.

"I'm buying but you'll be paying, my dear," Aubrey gave back and everybody laughed. Thus it was agreed on and, of course, Amy would know just the place.

It was a bar of sorts, but there was eating and there was karaoke, and altogether it was a strange mix of things that shouldn't go together and, in truth, didn't because it wasn't very full. It could have been surmised that it was too early for a large crowd but Beca had an inkling that this place never saw more than a dozen patrons at once. She didn't mind, she followed Amy through the bar into it's wide backroom where she slouched into a couch, rather than sit on a chair at a table. Chloe collapsed into her, as usual not bothering with any kind of personal space.

"I'm beat," she said and Beca merely nodded while looking for Aubrey. The blonde was still standing in the front room, chatting with the man behind the counter. She had run her hands through her hair earlier and pulled her top down a bit. She was smiling at the middle aged man with the full red beard. Beca was watching her from her place on the couch with a frown on her face.

"What is it?" Chloe asked.

"Is Aubrey actually flirting with that guy?" She asked before she even realized who she said it to. Chloe laughed at Beca's bewildered face.

"Yeah, I guess she is, why?"

"I've never seen Aubrey do that before," Beca commented. Chloe leaned even closer and whispered into her ear:

"And I thought you've seen plenty of it today." The brunette blushed and coughed, deciding to ignore the flirtatious tone and the implication.

Aubrey finally came back with two large pitchers of beer, some of the girls caught mugs and they settled down to have a drink. A collective sigh of appreciation could be heard around their group after the first taste of the frothy beverage.

"I ordered some pizzas, I hope none of you has turned vegan on my ass during the last few weeks?" Aubrey looked questioningly around at her friends but only received head-shakes. "Good. I must say, I'm very proud of you all. Today was great." She smiled at everyone proudly.

"I say cheers to that, we're fucking heroes - even compared to my high standards," Amy said and lifted her mug in the middle of the table. Everyone else clinked their glasses together.

"This could be our new 'ahhh'-routine," Cynthia Rose suggested.

"Yeah, we should all just bring a shooter to our next performance, clink them and take a hefty sip before we go on stage," Beca said and everybody looked at her questioningly. She rolled her eyes at them.

"And sarcastic Beca strikes again," Chloe laughed but the others simply shook their heads at their captain.

"Oh, come on... you all should be used to that by now, right?"

"I don't know, little one, maybe you should overthink that high-and-mighty 'tude you got going there. It's kinda getting old, you know?" Amy said and mostly everyone agreed. Beca looked around the table, flabbergasted. Were they serious?

"Sarcasm is not for well-behaved young ladies, Beca. It also might turn away male suitors. Surely, you don't want that? You might end up an old maid," Aubrey lectured in a fake British accent and everybody laughed at the dumb face Beca was making.

"Okay, okay, very funny. You got me there, aca-bitches," but the small brunette joined the laughter.

"That was almost too easy," Aubrey said and lay an arm around her friend's shoulders, pulling her into a one-armed hug. Beca flushed at the unaccustomed display of affection but hid her face behind her mug as she drank down the rest of her beer.

"Drink up, shorty," Amy called and refilled Beca's glass when she put it down again.

"Don't get me shit-faced. I'm, after all, your captain and responsible for all your's good behaviours," the DJ joked and the conversation around the table got noisy with everybody talking. None of the other girls noticed that Aubrey's arm had abandoned its earlier post around Beca's shoulders and drifted down to lean on the couch. Nobody but Beca herself, of course, who would sometimes lean back a little to assure herself that it was still there, and Chloe who sat on Beca's other side, casually leaning into the brunette and putting her hand on top of Aubrey's.

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Beca had been right about one thing: the bar didn't see many more patrons during the course of the evening. There were about half a dozen milling around the front room and a straight couple in a corner in the backroom where the Bellas sat - as far away from the girls as the room allowed. The brunette also noticed Amy eyeing the karaoke set-up. Beca wasn't exactly thrilled about this, not because she didn't like the Bellas singing but because they would make her sing - in public, after a long day in the sun. The only good thing about this was that Aubrey and Chloe kept them all sufficiently lubricated with beer. By now, they had eaten and there were only a few slices left on the two big plates standing on the table. Beca took one and started munching it contendedly when Amy got up and walked to the front room to talk to the proprietor. They couldn't hear what they were saying, there was soft music coming from a loudspeaker over their heads but when the blonde pointed at the karaoke machine, they all knew what was going to happen. Beca made a face.

"Oh, come on, Becs, it'll be fun," Chloe nudged her in the ribs and Beca gave a small yelp. Everyone was looking at her.

"Just... I... whatever," the brunette leaned back into the couch and just ate her last piece of pizza for the evening.

The waitress - she had started working after the girls had arrived - came over and turned on the karaoke machine. She gave Amy a short introduction on how to work it and their friend nodded eagerly to all the instructions. Then she grabbed a mic and blew into it.

"1,2 - 1,2 - can u hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Fat Amy," Cynthia Rose called and Amy smiled happily.

"Okay, so, we're gonna rock this joint tonight. Hello, I'm Fat Amy and my friends and I are the Barden Bellas. We're the best a cappella group in all the land - a cappella means only with our mouths, it's what we do, we make music with our mouths. It sounds more perverted than it actually is, I swear, so... we're gonna sing now - with music from this little machine here," she pointed at the set-up. "And first up is our captain: Beca 'the DJ' Mitchell. Come up here and choose a song, Mitchell!" She waved at Beca who just glared at her, not moving. They all looked at her expectantly, two of the patrons from the front room came to the doorway to the back and looked at what the fuss was about. Then Chloe jumped up and came over to Amy.

"I'm gonna choose a song for her," she informed the room and looked at a long list of songs on a computer screen. She seemed thoughtful, then tipped on one with her index finger, Amy grinned. "Bring her over, Bree," she told the ex-Bellas captain who looked at Beca challengingly.

"You're coming on your own or do I have to drag you? Your choice, Becs," she told the brunette who glared at her but got off her seat. The Bellas applauded and whooped as Beca tried to keep a pissed-off mask on her face though the slight smirk gave her plainly away.

"I'm not gonna sing anything by Brittney or Miley, just so you know," she warned the ginger who still stood next to Amy and handed her a mic.

"Don't worry," she said before she left her perch and went back to her friends, pulling Aubrey off her seat and onto the dance-floor. "Hit it, Amy!" she called and Amy pushed some buttons. The first chords of a rock song could be heard and Beca looked at Chloe questioningly before her eyes cleared in understanding:

"Melissa?" she mouthed and Chloe nodded before she started moving to the beat.

"Hey! She wakes up in the morning with a pain in her jet-black head," Beca finally started singing _All American Girl _by Melissa Etheridge. The other Bellas hopped from their seats and started dancing as well. The two patrons who had at first tentatively stood in the doorway sat down at a table in the backroom now, nodding their heads to the music. The couple in the corner looked a little disturbed by the ruckus but didn't move, the girl seemed to like Beca's voice at least, she listened intently.

Beca on the stage got into the song, singing in her most rock-ish voice, nodding her head, she seemed the embodiment of bad-assery, even in her shorts, even with flip-flops on her feet, she rocked the song. During the short guitar solo, she watched Chloe and Aubrey dance, the blonde twirling the redhead, the two coming together to dance closely, until the song picked up again.

The song finally ended and the girls whooped and cajoled for their captain who had crushed the song. Beca was all 'yeah, yeah, whatever' but she grinned rakishly.

"Alright, up next is... drumroll... CR, come up here! We wanna hear ya, gal," Amy waved Cynthia Rose to her who chose a song fairly quickly and the next thing they heard was _No Diggity_, in memoriam of their first really great performance at the riff-off. Lilly joined her after the Dre-rap and they killed it Bella-fashion. The other girls danced and the couple from their corner also came to the dancefloor to show their moves. Beca who was dancing with Jessica felt the girl's eyes on her and when she turned she saw the cute brunette wink at her behind the back of her boyfriend. She just shook her head at the young woman but smirked just a little when she turned away. Another sight caught her eyes and held them: Chloe and Aubrey dancing closely, sexily. Chloe pressed her hips to Aubrey's ass, both of them grooving to the beat. It was mesmerizing - so much so that Jessica leaned over to her before the song ended, whispering:

"Your toner's showing, Becs." The Bellas captain blushed and quickly looked up to the stage at Cynthia Rose and Lilly who ended the song in style, posing. More applause, some catcalls. And Amy took the mic, waving Aubrey on stage. They sang _I'm So Excited _by the Pointer Sisters.

"A song about sex, if there ever was one," Chloe whispered into Beca's ear who grew flushed at the mere proximity of the ginger and the implication of her words. But Chloe didn't give her a chance to recover, she just pulled her to her than away. They started dancing and Beca found herself laughing at the 80s moves the redhead exhibited. She tried to keep up with Chloe but she soon found that she couldn't, nobody could. Chloe was dancing in the middle of the dancefloor and the other Bellas surrounded her, cheering her on while the redhead threw arms, hair and hips around. It was amazing, it was enticing, sexy, and a lot of fun, too.

Jessica took the stage next and chose Bruno Mars' _Just the Way You Are _- another collective memory for the Bellas. Beca went over to the table to take a sip of her beer when she saw Aubrey coming toward her, taking her hand.

"Come with me," she said, pulling her back to the dancefloor and into her arms.

"I thought you'd rather dance this one with Chloe," Beca stammered.

"I already danced with Chloe, now I'm dancing with you," Aubrey simply informed her and pulled her a little closer. It was a strange sensation that overcame the brunette as she felt certain body parts of the tall blonde touch her own. She felt a flush overcome her whole body, goosebumps, and an altogether prickly feeling all over. She swallowed hard on the sudden dryness in her throat and wished she wasn't so buzzed from the beer, just so she could say which feelings was brought on by the alcohol and which by Aubrey dancing with her. Not that it was important, she just wished she knew what all this meant, what this feeling was that pulled her toward Aubrey when she had had a crush on Chloe for the longest time - and without that crush lessening bur rather intensifying. It was confusing but it felt so good. Beca caught Chloe's blue eyes as the song ended and they sparkled brightly at her, before she gave her a sexy wink and turned back toward Cynthia Rose with whom she was dancing.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm still feeling myself into this, that's why it takes so long. But it's really interesting and captivating to explore their feelings. I'm hooked.**

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Aubrey pulled the bus into a parking space and turned off the engine. She had declared herself the designated driver after she had had her first - and only - beer that evening and Amy had been overjoyed to hear it. Now she had driven everybody home, everybody except Beca who had fallen asleep against Chloe's shoulder not long after they had all entered the vehicle. Aubrey smiled at Chloe.

"You should wake her," she said.

"I know but she looks so cute when she's asleep," the redhead said fondly.

"Makes one almost forget what a brat she can be," Aubrey said still smiling.

"You don't mean that," Chloe protested weakly.

"Oh, yes, I do. That doesn't mean that I..." Aubrey hesitated.

"That you?"

"That I don't like her," the blonde finished the sentence.

"Or a little more than like her?" Chloe asked in a low voice.

They looked at each other silently. Then Aubrey shrugged.

"I don't know where... you even wanna go with this, Chlo. I mean she's... cute... lovely, actually, but..."

"But. I don't wanna feel bad about loving you both. And I do," Chloe sighed.

"We've talked about it," Aubrey said.

"Yes, but we haven't found a solution... and it's hard, Bree, because I love you so much. And...," but she stopped when Beca stirred at her shoulder. The brunette slowly opened her eyes.

"Are we there yet?" she asked and Aubrey giggled.

"We're at our place," she told the brunette who sat up, smiling apologetically at Chloe for having used her as a pillow.

"Your place? Why didn't you drive me home?"

"Because Kimmy Jin is going to kill you if you show up this late and drunk. We're too fond of you to let that happen, so... you can sleep at chez Aubrey and Chloe's tonight," the redhead informed her friend and nudged her to get out of the bus. Aubrey opened the door and they all exited the vehicle.

"Weren't we supposed to bring it back this evening?" Beca asked when the blonde came around from the driver's side.

"Yeah, but I called earlier tonight and told them I would bring it back tomorrow," she said.

"That'll cost extra, won't it?" the Bellas captain said sheepishly.

"Yeah, but it was worth it, if only for Amy's face when you sang _I Will Always Love You_ to her," Aubrey chuckled.

"Oh, man, don't remind me. I think she thinks I was making a pass at her," Beca groaned.

"She most definitely did," the blonde confirmed and lay her arm around Beca's shoulder in consolation. "You know I would pay you if you'd send her some flowers and woo her a little. I would so love to see her reaction."

"Dude, no. I can't... she's like... a big, Tasmanian sister to me, I can't just... no, that would be wrong," Beca said to the laughter of her two friends. She grinned good-naturedly. "If you want somebody to woo Amy you'd have to do it yourself, Bree."

"No, can't do. Amy knows I'm involved with someone else," Aubrey said confidently and winked at Chloe. Beca noticed it and looked from the blonde to Chloe and back.

"So, you guys are really... like dating?" She asked as they entered the apartment building where Aubrey and Chloe now lived. The redhead held the door for the other two and looked at Aubrey. The blonde nodded.

"Yes, we're dating," she simply said and took Chloe's hand. Then she pressed the elevator button.

Beca nodded. She wasn't sure what she should say to this confirmed news. A whiny voice in her head said 'but I wanted to tap that,' another said that 'congratulations' would probably be appropriate. Thinking about her options made her quiet and thus they entered the elevator. Chloe looked form her girlfriend to Beca. She reached her hand out toward the brunette, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You okay there?" she asked. Beca looked up at her.

"Yeah, sure, I'm okay. I mean, it's great that you guys... are together," she finally got out and tried a smile that wasn't convincing. She closed her eyes, cursing herself for having gotten drunk. It was a lot more difficult to hide your feelings when your brain was clouded by alcohol.

Chloe once again looked at Aubrey, pleadingly, the blonde looking back intently. A silent conversation was going on while Beca tried to figure out how to convey that she was really, honeslty happy for her friends. Which she was, just... but this 'just,' this 'but' that was to follow was too difficult to put into words. And she had to think back to what Cynthia Rose had said. 'Polyamorous relationship'? What did that even mean exactly?

The chime of the elevator as they reached their destination roused them all out of their thoughts and they walked down the hall to the apartment in silence. Aubrey opened the door and they walked in, their thoughtfulness bringing with it awkwardness. They looked at each other.

"You want something to drink, maybe a glass of water?" Chloe asked, ever the mindful hostess. Beca shrugged. She walked into the living room. It wasn't the first time she was here, the Bellas had all helped their ex-captains moving earlier this summer. They had all sat here afterwards, talking excitedly about their plans, the Bellas, Aubrey and Chloe's new jobs. It had been a roudy evening and now it was so quiet, it was almost deafening.

Chloe looked at Aubrey.

"I'll talk to her," she said and the blonde nodded. Chloe reached out her hand and laid it against Aubrey's cheek, her girlfriend leaning into the touch and kissing Chloe's hand.

"Don't let it get too late," she finally said and gave the redhead a small kiss on the lips.

"I won't," Chloe answered and smiled up at the blonde. They parted, Aubrey walking down the hall toward the bathroom, Chloe following Beca into the living room, switching on the light as she sank down into the cushions of the comfortable settee.

"Hey," she said and nudged Beca's thigh.

"Listen, I... I am happy for you guys," the small brunette said and looked into Chloe's bright blue eyes, feeling herself getting lost in their depth for the millionth time, it seemed.

"We know that, Becs," the redhead answered her and smiled happily. She leaned forward and grabbed Beca's hand, she squeezed it. And once again, she was so close, too close for comfort for Beca but not aware of it. She was never aware of just how great her allure was. Beca swallowed and pulled back a little.

They looked at each other for a moment, questioningly but in another way also knowingly.

"I wish you knew what this is doing to me," Chloe whispered and Beca's heartrate picked up so suddenly, she felt her head spin with it.

"What?" was her only coherent thought and the redhead smiled self-deprecatingly.

"Every time I look into your eyes, it's like... I'm drowning. And they're such an intense blue and... when we first met I thought they would be brown but in the shower..." Chloe smiled a small smile at the mention of their very private moment at the beginning of their friendship. "I realized they were blue. It took me completely by surprise. They're really beautiful... and so are you," she added.

Beca just looked at Chloe, not knowing what to say. Was this some kind of a joke? But it wouldn't be, Chloe wouldn't be so cruel. Sure, she liked to flirt but she wouldn't mock someone's feelings and she sure knew by now that Beca had feelings for her.

"I know what you're thinking. Why is she telling me this when she is with Aubrey, right?" The brunette merely nodded. "I'm in love with Aubrey, and I love being with her. We... have known each other since forever, high school, did you know that?"

"I think you mentioned it."

"Yeah, I would. We've been besties since we started college and... I sometimes had a crush on her, it happens when you're close with girls and you like girls, you know. And then I met you and... I liked you from the first. When I saw you it was just... I want to know her, she looks so interesting and... cool and sexy. You're..." But Beca dropped her gaze, not looking at Chloe anymore. "This is making you uncomfortable," Chloe said. "I'm sorry, I just try to... tell you how I'm feeling, Beca."

The brunette looked back up.

"What you're feeling for... Aubrey?"

"What I'm feeling for you and Aubrey," Chloe clarefied but not quite as well as she would have wished because Beca now frowned. "I liked you and I thought you liked me, too. But then you hooked up with Jesse..."

"That was a big mistake, we all know that by now," Beca defended herself.

"Yeah, now we know but I didn't know it then. I thought you really liked him and... Aubrey and I got closer after all this drama with the Bellas and I found myself falling for her once again. Only, this time she reciprocated my feelings. I still had and have feelings for you, Beca. The thing is... I'm in love with both of you. I can't seem to help it. You're both constantly on my mind and it tears me apart," Chloe finally confessed.

Beca looked at her friend wide-eyed. Did she actually say it? That she was in love? With her? And Aubrey?

The Bellas captain tried to say something but when she opened her mouth nothing came out. She tried two more times but her thoughts were a jumble. They didn't even make sense to her, how could she make Chloe understand them?

"I'm sorry to put this on you like this. I just... I think you have feelings for me, too, and I didn't want you to think I didn't like you when I do." Beca nodded, that much she was still able to do. "Aubrey and I have been talking about this. She knows." This once again left the brunette wide-eyed and Chloe giggled. "Don't worry, she won't kill you in your sleep or something. You guys have gotten a lot closer, too, and you know she likes you, right?" But no nod was the answer, instead Beca found her voice again.

"How does she like me?" she asked and Chloe looked at her for a moment before she answered.

"You would have to ask her that yourself, Becs."

"But...," the brunette wanted to protest but Chloe shook her head.

"No. I can't talk about Aubrey's feelings, that wouldn't be fair. And I can't... cheat on Aubrey or anything like that," she told the younger woman.

"I don't know what you're saying, Chlo. I don't know what you want me to do," Beca said and looked desperately at Chloe.

"I want you to... think about this, about what you feel, what you want. We all have to talk about it, Aubrey, you, and I. I just wanted you to know how I feel," Chloe smiled at Beca again.

"I'm in love with you, too," Beca suddenly said and startled both of them, though herself more than the redhead, it seemed. Chloe smiled happily when she overcame the first shock.

"That makes me happy," she said and she pulled the other woman in a tight hug. Beca felt all her emotions burst through the surface at once, knowing that it was true and that Chloe felt the same way. She held onto the redhead and when they parted, she wanted to lean in again and kiss her but Chloe pulled away.

"No," the older woman said. "I'm with Aubrey. That doesn't change."

"Do you want me to wait? I'll wait for you," Beca said but once again the redhead shook her wild mane.

"I told you what I want you to do. We're going to talk, all of us. We'll figure this out without ruining our friendships or breaking each other's hearts, okay?" Beca nodded but she had little confidence that it could be done. "Alright, we better call it a night. Come on, you can sleep in the guestroom," she pulled Beca up off the couch and after her.

"I thought that was your room," Beca teased when they stopped infront of a door. Chloe smiled.

"That was just a front, though I think Aubrey's coming around with the whole coming out-thing. You were the first she told, though," the older woman informed her friend.

"Really? Wow... and I acted like an ass, damn," Beca cursed herself.

"Don't worry, you can make it up to her by making your world-famous pancakes for breakfast. Will you?" The brunette smirked.

"So, that's why you guys kidnapped me? For pancakes?"

"You got that right, Mitchell. It was my evil plan and I enticed Aubrey to go along with it," they laughed but in a muffled volume. They didn't want to disturb Aubrey.

"Wicked," Beca said.

"Well, goodnight, Becs," Chloe once again hugged her friend. They held each other for a long while, both feeling the thin line they were walking by touching and behaving the way they did. Confessing their feelings to each other had already changed things between them. The question they were now facing was whether it would bind them stronger together or tear them apart. And it wasn't only about the two of them, Aubrey would be a part of this whichever way it went.

"Goodnight, Chlo. See you at breakfast," Beca answered.

"Hmmmm," Chloe made under her breath and turned to the door of the bedroom she shared with Aubrey. She waved at Beca and then opened the door, silently slipping inside.

Beca opened the door to the guestroom, walking in but not switching on any lights. She waited until her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and then walked over to the bed. She simply sat down on it, staring into darkness, trying to make sense of her thoughts and feelings. It was a tough mess and it wouldn't let her go to sleep for a long time that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know it's been a while. And it's a short chapter, too. But it's a prelude to something longer, hopefully. And hopefully it won't take me so long to write it. I confess I'm out of my depth here - but I still hope you like.**

* * *

When Beca walked into the open kitchen the next morning, she looked at two well-rested ex-Bellas who were having their first cup of coffee.

"Morning," Chloe beamed at her.

"Myeah," Beca grumbled and Aubrey chuckled silently.

"Someone's got a hang-over?" she asked bemusedly while the short brunette poured herself a cup and then leaned against the kitchen counter, eyes closed. She took a couple of small sips from the hot brew before she answered.

"Among other things," she said and looked at the two other women who seemed quite cozy, the sense of them being a couple stronger now as they were in their own home. This didn't necessarily involve touching or looking at each other, it was a mere feeling of contentment, of commitment that surrounded them and Beca wasn't at all ready to dwell on this sight. "Wasn't I supposed to make pancakes for breakfast?" she asked Chloe.

"Well, we were actually waiting for you to get up. We haven't eaten yet, so if you're game..."

"Oh, I'm game," Beca readily agreed, maybe even too readily. She was stalling on them talking and they were all aware of it, and at least Aubrey didn't mind Beca's tactic at all. They had talked earlier, Chloe telling her girlfriend about the conversation she had had with Beca the night before. While Chloe was quite happy about the outcome, Aubrey couldn't even begin to think about what it all meant. She was confused - to say the least. Her conservative, army-based upbringing had surely not prepared her for this. Then again, it hadn't prepared her for fallling in love with another woman either - and that, at least, felt very right now that she had had time to get comfortable.

Aubrey watched Beca while she contemplated all this, the brunette being too engrossed in her preparations for breakfast to notice. But Chloe noticed. She looked from one woman to the other, wondering if she was doing the right thing to pursue this. Was she being selfish? Did she make this all about herself and her desires for both her friends? She only wanted to be happy but she also wanted Aubrey and Beca to be so - were these wishes incompatible, was she wrong to even try? No, she had to try, that was the whole point. She couldn't give up on something that she felt could work for all of them, make all of them happy.

"I hope you guys are hungry, I'm not even sure I can eat any of this," Beca told them over her shoulder while she was busy stirring the batter.

In the end, Beca did eat her fair share of pancakes and it wasn't even part of her tactic to stall on 'the talk.' Her stomach wasn't sensitive that way, the queasyness would stay with her until the afternoon but it wasn't bound to get worse than when she woke up. They ate at the kitchen table and when they finished, Aubrey stood to clean the kitchen, Beca stood to escape to the guest room. Chloe silently wondered if she would have to strong-arm them into talking, they could both be so stubborn.

"I want to talk," she said before Beca could make her escape and the two other women looked first at her then at each other before they focused on harmless things, the kitchen sink, the table. "In the living room, please," Chloe asked. Her eyes went to Aubrey who nodded silently and then to Beca who set her jaw. In this moment they all wondered if she would just go into the guest room, get her things and leave forever. But then she looked up at Chloe, saw the pleading in her eyes and she felt every ounce of resistence leave her body. She nodded and they went into the living room.

Chloe had thought about it all - not just since last night. Ever since she had felt her feelings for Aubrey deepen, she wondered where her feelings for Beca fell in all this. She had expected them to go away but they hadn't. She had thought her feelings for Aubrey might turn out to be a fling but they weren't. To know that these two extraordinary women reciprocated her feelings - it was amazing. But it couldn't all be about her, she couldn't be in the middle of everything or this would turn into a Tennessee Williams drama without the Southern accent. She sat down on the couch and Aubrey took the seat beside her, Beca - not surprisingly - chose to sit in one of the armchairs.

"Okay, so... I know this is a little weird but... we're all friends, right? I mean, we should be able to talk about it, right?" Chloe looked from Aubrey to Beca but neither was looking at her. The redhead heaved a deep sigh, then she chuckled. "No drama like lesbian drama," she said and this seemed to actually lighten the mood. Beca barked a short laugh and Aubrey smiled.

"Yeah," Beca said. She looked up at Aubrey. "I'm not trying to steal your girlfriend, Bree," she then said earnestly and the mood swung once again. Aubrey blinked her eyes in surprise.

"I know that, I guess," she said haltingly. "I mean, I didn't think you would... just..." Aubrey stopped talking. Had this bothered her? She hadn't actively thought about it but it now felt like it had been on her mind, like she had been afraid that this would happen. "It's so... weird. I mean, I knew you guys were into each other. I think everybody knew, even Jesse..."

"Oh, he knew," Beca confirmed Aubrey's words. "He was jealous of Chloe, of all of you, the Bellas. He knew I'd rather spent time with you guys than with him. God, it should have been clear to me, I know. I just... I wasn't ready to admit..."

"No need to apologize for that, Beca. I know exactly how you felt," Aubrey said and Beca looked into her gray-blue eyes. Yes, Aubrey knew how hard it was to face one's feelings - but they had both found Chloe to be irresistible. Beca nodded.

"You know I think it's great that... you... came out. I'm proud of you," the brunette finally said what she felt she should have told Aubrey the night before.

"You just wish I had fallen for someone else?" Aubrey asked. There was no censure in her voice, at least she hoped there wasn't.

"I think you guys are great together, Bree, really... I'm happy for you," but there was also sadness in her dark blue eyes and she knew both her friends could see it.

Aubrey smiled. She looked at Beca for a good long while and she felt her insides falter. She had been so wrong about Beca. She wasn't that wise-crack bad-ass she liked to show the world. Beca was effortlessly kind and good-natured. She was also talented, knew music better than anybody Aubrey knew. And then there was that goofy smirk she sometimes wore, her big blue eyes - so expressive.

Beca looked back at Aubrey and she, too, felt some of what had confused her so the day before. A pull toward the slender blonde that had nothing to do with her feelings for Chloe yet everything to do with who Aubrey was. And it once again surprised her and her thoughts tumbled all around in her head - her look turned pleadingly to Chloe.

"I know," the redhead simply said and Beca let her breath out in a huff.

"What does it mean?" Beca asked.

"It means that you like her."

"Do you like me?" Beca asked Aubrey although she already knew the answer. Their eye-contact had been intimate, it hadn't been about two friends simply looking at each other. Aubrey blushed a becoming shade of pink but nodded her head, she looked at her hands.

"I think you should go out," Chloe said into the tension these kind of confessions elicited. Her companions looked at her.

"Go out?" Beca asked.

"As in a date?" Aubrey specified and Chloe nodded. She smiled at her friends.

"You guys like each other. Maybe we should see how far this liking goes before... we do anything else or say... things."

Beca scratched her head, looking at Chloe for a long moment then at Aubrey. There were a lot of things she felt, there had always been things she had felt around both of them. Given, her feelings for Aubrey had changed a lot since their first meeting. At times they seemed to have bordered on hate, then she was simply frustrated with her, then there was empathy, sympathy and now... she was always so amazed at her strength... and then there was that bright smile, her enthusiasm was contagious... but was that enough? Enough for what? To date? To kiss? To maybe fall in love?

"Would you go out with me, Bree?" Beca heard herself say. There was curiosity in her voice and a dare. Did she even know what she was doing?

Aubrey looked at her intently, probing if she meant it.

"Okay," she finally answered. Then she grinned: "But no funny business, Mitchell. And we're going to watch a movie. And I'm picking it. And you're gonna pay for it. I'm not cheap you know," she told the brunette who laughed.

"But easy, right?" Beca gave back and they returned to their usual verbal sparring.

"Oh, you wish," Aubrey said. "For serious, though...," she sobered "this has to be about us, not Chloe."

Beca looked from the blonde to the redhead. They were both looking at her as if she was the one with the power to decide anything, as if she knew what was going on. She didn't. She was too confused. But she nodded her head. Going out with a leggy blonde who had a wicked sense of humor and an infectuous laugh wouldn't be a hardship. It might be fun. It might be more than fun. Did she have to think about all the things this could be? Now?

"It's a date," she told Aubrey and the blonde grinned.

"It's a date."


End file.
